According to the data released on Thursday, 93 percent of George Washington student-athletes who entered college in 2006 earned a degree, 11 percent higher than the 82 percent of Division I scholarship student-athletes across the country who entered college in 2006. The graduation-rate data are based on a six-year cohort prescribed by the U.S. Department of Education.

"Academic achievement is one of the pillars of our strategic plan," noted Director of Athletics and Recreation Patrick Nero. "The success of our student-athletes in the classroom exemplifies the hard work they put in and the tremendous support they receive from our Educational Support Services staff, faculty, coaches and administrators."

The NCAA developed the Division I Graduation Success Rate in response to college and university presidents who wanted graduation data that more accurately reflect the mobility among all college students today, as the Graduation Success Rate accounts for the academic outcomes of student-athletes who transfer from one institution to another.